Formed in 2020, BEEP is a powerful alliance of ten grassroots organizations working to amplify the success of local environmental justice efforts and ensure they inform bold, statewide action.
Coalition Members
- Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)
- Central California Asthma Collaborative (CCAC)
- Central Valley Air Quality Coalition (CVAQ)
- Center for Race, Poverty, and the Environment (CRPE)
- Communities for a Better Environment (CBE)
- Emerald Cities Collaborative – Northern California (EC Bay Area)
- Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability
- Local Clean Energy Alliance (LCEA)
- People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights (PODER)
- Physician for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles (PSR-LA)
Together we represent the environmental justice voices of low-income communities and communities of color, those most burdened by the impacts of climate change and environmental injustice. Our focus is equitable building decarbonization across California with the core belief that everyone deserves to live in a safe, healthy home that they can afford to heat and cool. That means access to zero-emission appliances, whole-building retrofits, lower or no utility bills, job opportunities, and security from displacement or rent hikes. We work across state, regional, and local levels to achieve these outcomes.
In 2022, we held four community listening sessions in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, and East Coachella Valley to gather local community perspectives on building decarbonization. We learned a lot about the current status of buildings through these sessions, including the need for substantial repairs to accommodate new appliances as well as other improvements to the home to ensure the appliances functioned properly and that energy bills did not increase beyond what households could afford. Many residents also expressed concern about their living situation, worried that the cost for improvements may cause them to lose their housing – either because they couldn’t afford to get the home they own up to code, or because a landlord may use those improvements as a reason to evict tenants or raise their rent.
Equitable building decarbonization involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings through upgrades like electric appliances and solar panels, while using that installation to also conduct other improvements to increase health benefits and climate resiliency. The goals of equitable building decarbonization efforts go beyond new appliances, and include lower energy costs, cleaner indoor air, improved safety and comfort, and greater resilience to a changing climate.
From these sessions, our preliminary report outlines key recommendations:
- Equitable Process + Meaningful Engagement: Dedicate sufficient time and provide sufficient funding to local groups to engage in outreach and community education, including funding for staff time from established community organizations, stipends for community member participation, and translation services.
- Access + Education: Fund local groups to build accessible and reliable programs that support outreach and education on building decarbonization. Embrace a flexible, phased approach to implementation.
- Distributional Justice: Costs + Affordability: Fully fund building decarbonization and debt relief programs for low-income communities and communities of color to reduce energy burdens and remove cost barriers. Energy costs should go down after projects are complete, and low-income households should not have to pay anything out of pocket. Educate ratepayers on cost impacts and best practices for energy use.
- Renters’ Rights + Protections: Work with local tenant rights groups to embed renter safeguards in every building 2 decarbonization policy and program, and clearly identify enforcement mechanisms and resources. Close loopholes in state law on this issue.
- Regulated Affordable Housing: Provide funding for more training, education, technical assistance, and financial incentives (e.g. align Tax Credit Allocation Committee funding with state sustainability goals) for affordable housing providers to implement decarbonization in new and existing buildings.
- Workforce Development + High-Road Jobs: Ensure job access for local and priority populations underrepresented in high-road construction jobs, such as through community workforce agreements. Include water efficiency in policy changes to facilitate meaningful job development in impacted sectors.
- Holistic Upgrades — Health, Safety, + Resiliency: Take a holistic approach to building decarbonization policy and program design by packaging it with energy efficiency, indoor habitability, and resiliency measures; and expand critical programs that offer energy efficiency and solar PV at no cost.
- Supply Chain — Gas Infrastructure + Lithium Extraction: Ensure thoughtful recycling and clean-up of retiring gas infrastructure, and conduct thorough research about the short-term and long-term impacts of lithium extraction in the Salton Sea and communicate these findings to frontline communities.
As California transitions to a cleaner energy future, equity must lead the way. BEEP is committed to ensuring environmental justice communities are not just included but are leading the charge. To advance equitable building decarbonization, we must prioritize holistic home upgrades that directly benefit environmental justice communities and put them at the forefront of the clean energy transition. This approach must guarantee a just transition, addressing the unique needs and challenges these communities face as the energy landscape evolves. Central to this effort, BEEP will serve as a bridge-builder, uplifting environmental justice communities by actively involving them in every level of the building decarbonization decision-making process, thereby fostering inclusive and equitable outcomes.
